This isn’t my project but we were discussing boats before. Here’s an example of a larger scale infused hull composite boat.
http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.marshall/TrailerTrawlerConstruction
http://marshalldesign.blogspot.com/
It’s this sort of large scale infusion that I’m looking at with our project. I’ve already gained enough knowledge from you guys to probably save me hundreds if not thousands of dollars on our project.
That’s some nice work they have done there. How much $ do you suppose a boat like that would cost a consumer who just wanted to buy a completed boat, minus the engine and instrumentation?
I never knew you could build a large scale project like that doing flat panels and then joining them all together, also using infusion for the joints. That’s darn cool. he got around having to build an entire female mold for the hull.
A 25’ production boat sans engine would probably run around $80K - $90K maybe, not sure though. W/engine add 'nuther $15K - $20K for an inboard diesel.
The process is affectionately known as “Stitch & Glue”. There are frames set up on a strong back for the panels to lay on until you stitch them together. Most other methods use a basket mold for the foam planking to be laid into then the inside is infused first. Pulled from the mold then the outside done. I have heard of some builders of production boats that do both sides at once in a female mold but they guard their trade secrets very well.
This is the first time I’ve seen the panels done one one side first then layed out. I would have thought they’d be too stiff to bend around any curves but apparently not. Infusing the joints is a bit of overkill I thought but whatever works I guess. I asked the designer of our boat about this and he said it can be done and is used on one of his foam cored lobster boat designs. Not for the typical amateur builder though.
Here’s a new 25’ going for over $150K
Another at $140K
Ours will be 6’ longer and cost us under $70K.